Forced to move to unaffordable housing
Anyone who lacks understanding of how devastating Urban Renewal in Roanoke was should read an article by Mary Bishop in The Roanoke Rambler. As she chronicled past writings I began to understand some things that happened to my family members.
My grandmother often mentioned living in NorthEast Roanoke and also the Gainsboro neighborhood. When I asked her how she ended up in Botetourt County in a dilapidated house with no indoor plumbing she would get quiet. Once she simply said, “Well if you can’t afford it” and never said another word.
As a child, I could not understand why anyone without transportation would choose to live in such conditions but thanks to Mary Bishop I now realize the life of poverty was more than likely chosen for my grandma and her mother.
Possible answers
The RR article lays out how Roanoke City forced residents of the Northeast out of their homes and how many could not afford to remain in their new homes. in Gainsboro. My grandma was divorced and working at Ideal Laundry while my great-grandmother was a widow.